We Will Stand United
by TARossum
Summary: The fact is The Shield is going to disband. How much longer will they stay together? What will be the consequences? Will they turn their backs on each other or will they still be friends? (Set in kayfabe.) NO SLASH!
1. Chapter 1

Roman was getting ready to hit Bray with his Superman Punch when suddenly a famous lamb mask appeared on the screen and the ring, the whole arena, dived into darkness. Few seconds nobody knew what was going on, and yet everybody expected only one thing to happen. The Wyatt Family wouldn't leave their leader be destroyed or even get slightly hurt by the powerhouse hound. Bray promised he wouldn't drag his family into the battle but who would make that mistake of trusting him? Roman seemed to have forgotten how sneaky the crazy beard guy can be. He was definitely not to be trusted.

Luke Harper and Erick Rowan stood in front of the ring and suddenly Roman felt surrounded, there was nowhere for him to go. He got no chance to escape his fate. He thought everything was lost but then Seth jumped out of nowhere right into the ring to save his brother and his honor. He proved everybody last night that his athletic skills are incredible and with an ease he acrobatically bounced from the ground, flew over the top rope and performed a somersault before hitting both Bray's puppets and pushing them to the ground.

For a moment there it seemed as there was still a chance for Roman to get his victory over Bray but when he applauded the fellow member of The Shield, Bray took an advantage of lack of his opponent's focus and tried to get him pinned. Roman wouldn't give up and attacked Bray. At least he tried to but the vicious man succeeded in avoided getting hit by the big guy. The Wyatt Family was in charge once again. Bray was the only man in the ring and his game was on. Roman was lying outside the ring, unable to help his friend who was exposed to the rest of the bearded clan. Their brutal actions were the means of getting rid of The Shield, once and for all.

The Wyatts were about to double choke slam Seth Rollins, just as they did the last night when the so-called architect of The Shield ended lying on what was left of the Spanish announce table. Fortunately for Seth, the history would not repeat itself because suddenly the last member of the men-in-black stable hurried into the arena to stop Harper and Rowan in their manhandling Seth. This might have come as a surprise considering earlier misunderstanding of The Shield members prior to settling the match between Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt.

Last night at the Elimination chamber Dean got himself into some one-on-one action with the leader of the Family and after a few punches, both men quickly threw themselves over the barricade and continued in their fight among the audience until they left everybody's sight. For a couple of minutes, they were gone and the match focused on the other participants of the match who actually stayed in or around the ring and forgot about the two guys. It changed when Bray proudly returned to finish off the leftovers of The Shield, what was mainly Roman Reigns. When people saw Bray, everybody started to wonder what happened with Dean Ambrose. Was he to return back to the arena? Was he gone? Did Bray hurt him? Did he walk out on his teammates? The last option seemed to be the one that Roman and Seth believed the most. Dean tried to persuade them that he did not let them down but his fellow Hounds of Justice apparently did not believe him. There was some serious damage in the core of the group. After 24 hours Dean got tired of explaining and repeating himself as well as Seth and Roman got exhausted from hearing his excuses. Therefore Dean stopped trying to convince them that he was a trustworthy person and simply left.

That was why nobody expected him to come to help the two men who were still his partners after all. But he did. And they were glad it happened. The Shield reunited and found the necessary strength to face and defeat the trio who were living in a fantasy world and appeared to be secluded from the real life problems. Dean angrily attacked Erick and Luke and saved Seth from being sacrificed. Quickly The Shield regained the power and control over the situation; they needed Dean to make that happen. Without him, there was no Shield. There were only two men struggling to survive. Fortunately for them, he was able to put the problems, that the faction was undoubtedly having, aside and step in to take one for the team. It took this one man for The Shield to become dominating again. Nobody could doubt that and nobody could change that.

Roman finally hit the Superman Punch and prevented Luke Harper to interfere with the match but he failed to prevent the guy who was supposed to be on his side from doing the same thing. Before Roman could notice the referee was ending the match since Dean got into the ring and ruthlessly attacked Bray Wyatt. The match was over before it was meant to finish due to Dean's lack of self-control. Roman, who was on his way to victory, was disqualified and Bray Wyatt became the winner the second night in a row. And although the match started as one-on-one match, it changed into chaotic fight for dominance between the two major stables in wrestling industry.

But this time it was The Shield who made their opponents leave the ring. They were the ones who proved their superiority. At the end of the fight, they stood together, side by side, not showing any hints of internal conflict or possible disbanding. Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, the three Hounds of Justice, The Shield, were not a history yet. They were present and their presence could be felt. The Wyatt Family just witnessed that their last night's effort did not suffice to destroy something as strong as this faction. It would take more than one match and definitely more than few months of minor conflicts to separate those men and make them walk alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter takes place on Monday, just like the previous one. **

**Seth is still mad at Dean for not returning back to the ring at EC, Dean thinks that Seth and Roman are ungrateful when they don't seem to appreciate his help with The Wyatts on Raw, and this time Roman is the peacemaker who doesn't show his emotions and try to do what he thinks is the best for the group.**

* * *

"You're welcome," Dean mumbled as the trio was walking away from the ring. The Wyatt Family was long gone but The Shield took their time to show everybody their dominance. People believed that Dean was the one who saved Roman and Seth from the evil spirits who called themselves a family even though they were not blood relatives, neither they were of same importance within their little group, but Roman and especially Seth thought differently.

"Oh, don't act like you're a hero just because you showed up somewhere you should have been much sooner. You were supposed to be there supporting Roman from the beginning. You knew it would go wrong and The Wyatts would try to sabotage the match," Seth countered and it was easy for him to prove that his teammate's behavior was not appropriate.

"Let it go, Seth," Roman entered the discussion, knowing an argument would not solve their problems.

"I'm not gonna let it go," he said angrily and he was surprised that Roman was acting as if nothing happened. "And I'm certainly not going to give him credit for his part in the fight." He looked at Dean to continue. "Do you think that by "helping" us," he said sarcastically, "you can make it up for your actions at Elimination Chamber?"

"You know what, Seth?" Dean changed his attitude and decided that being nice was not getting him anywhere, so he started his verbal attack. "I fucking don't care what you two think. I did what I considered to be the best. If it was not good enough for you, I can stop. I don't need to be your shield and protect you from others. I can simply walk away with no regrets. Hell I could leave the faction right now," he kept telling them and they could not be sure if he really meant it or just pretended, in order to make them see he got enough power to cause damage to them all.

Roman decided to calm him down, just in case that he was serious, and prevented him from doing something stupid that all of them could regret. "Dean, nobody's mad…"

"I am," Seth uttered but Roman ignored his comment.

"We understand your anger, but there's really no reason for it because in reality, Seth and I are glad that you came to help us out."

Roman gave Seth a strict look before he could open his mouth and feed Dean's unstable temper. Seth tried to suck in some of Roman's tranquility. Roman always seemed calm and phlegmatic but still he was usually the one to get into argument with Dean. This time Roman and Seth had reversed positions, Roman became the peacemaker. It was probably because Seth was holding in his emotions for too long. There needed to be a mediator in the group but Seth could not handle being one anymore. He was angry at Dean. During the last few months, his mind has filled up with things he wanted to say out loud but for the sake of the stable, he didn't. But after Elimination Chamber, when Dean left Roman and Seth alone, after he walked out on them and let The Wyatts manhandle the two men weakened by the long match, Seth lost his ability to shut his emotions down and erupted like a volcano. There was too much he was holding inside and he knew that just one short argument would not make him feel better. But on the other hand, he cared for Roman and knew he was right. They needn't to irritate their partner; they would probably come to regret it.

"Yes, we are," Seth added after a while but he didn't sound persuasive at all.

"Dean, we need you," Roman continued to caress his ego. "Without you we can't be the most dominant faction in WWE."

Roman was not happy to act nicely to that ungrateful bastard, he kept thinking that they would be better off without him but when he used rationality, the best possible solution at the moment for them was to stay together as a group. If they disbanded right after the devastating match with The Wyatt Family, they would be considered to be the weaker group who had to make place for somebody more stable and vigorous, a newer faction that would take their place. They could not let that happen. The Shield was not weak, they don't back down, they finish what they start and most importantly, they truly work as a team. They don't need a leader; all of them can be at the same level. Roman believed that when he became an unofficial leader of The Shield, that was the breaking point for Dean's choleric personality. He could not stand somebody other than himself being the main man; he needed to rule to keep his temper down. But when Dean's subtle leadership came to an end, so did his good manners towards the other two. Roman saw that happening and even though he did not need to be the leader, neither he nor Seth could stand Dean acting like he was more important. They did what was best for The Shield.

"Are we cool now?" Roman asked finally.

Dean looked at Seth who was avoiding making an eye contact with him and instead angrily stared at the wall. He would not even look at Roman because he would try to make him apologize to Dean or something, although it was Dean who should apologize to them. His behavior was unacceptable, and yet he was the one Roman treated nicely and expected the same from Seth. He could not pretend everything was alright though. If Dean wanted to leave, they should let him. They didn't need him, especially when he acted so arrogantly and carelessly. Seth had a feeling that they could not trust him anymore. He was such an egoist sometimes, like the night before when he exchanged Seth and Roman's lives for his own good.

Nobody was happy with current situation; break up was inevitable for them to regain their mental health. But although they could not stand Dean's snobbery, they owed it to The Shield that they created more than a year ago. They owed it to the fans. They needed to find a way to deal with their problems. Their relationship was not broken yet, it could still be saved. They needed to find respect for each other, they needed to trust each other, and most importantly they themselves had to believe in The Shield.


	3. Chapter 3

**Before their upcoming match with The Wyatts, Roman and Seth seem to see the biggest threat in Dean. **

* * *

„I hope we can count on you, Dean. That rematch we have with The Wyatts on Raw is very important. If you plan to screw up again, just tell us now," Roman warned his teammate who was sitting on the chair and looking up at Roman in anger. He didn't know why they did not trust him. He was always there to help them. Didn't he prove to them that he was as much a part of The Shield as Roman and Seth? He saved their asses on Monday and stood by them on Friday as well, when he, together with Seth, dove on Bray's guards. He did what was expected from him. Why do Roman and Seth believe that he's going to turn his back on them then?

"Do you understand?" Seth yelled and spit on his face when he leaned in in order to be in the same level as Dean. "This is not a fucking game," he reminded Dean.

Dean craved for standing up to them but he kept being unusually quiet.

"Good," Roman concluded as he assumed that Dean understood what they were saying.

Seth, on the other hand, still did not believe him. "If you leave us alone on Monday or will not cooperate, there will be consequences," Seth warned him but in much calmer voice; still he sounded persuasive and he was frightening as hell. He has spent enough time with Dean so now he knew what worked best on him.

Dean still didn't say anything. He could easily oppose that but that would get him in yet another argument and he was tired of those. Moreover, even though he mastered the craft of speaking, Roman and Seth outnumbered him, therefore any debate he would get into could result in either losing or him storming out. When he didn't say anything, everybody seemed to calm down at least a little. Nobody was happy with the situation and Seth and Roman probably still didn't trust Dean but neither did he trust them. He was getting tired of their shit and they could clearly see it. Fortunately, the building hatred was mutual so that nobody could get grumpy about it. They all were grumpy though, but for different reasons.

"So what are we going to do about Wyatts?" Seth changed the topic but addressed the question to Roman only, leaving Dean out of the decision.

"I don't know," he replied and then he looked at Dean as if he presented a threat, or a walking time-bomb. He wished he could believe him and The Shield could really be a three-man unit in the upcoming match but it seemed like those days were over.

"We cannot let them win again," Seth noted the obvious. The last time they had a match with the so-called family, it ended disastrously for them. That could not happen again; otherwise it would really be over. If they weren't to unite for defeating-The-Wyatts purposes, they would fail to prove to everybody that they could still cooperate and bring some justice to the company.

There was a scenario in which Dean would keep his head calm and pulled himself together. In that case, they could work as a team which they were and destroy The Wyatt Family. But the thing with Dean was that he truly was unpredictable and more unreliable than not. For some reason, it might have been a good thing to have him on their side but with his complicated personality, he was as dangerous for The Shield as he was for The Wyatts. He was even possible to destroy himself without anybody else interacting.

"Dean?" Roman addressed him silently what interrupted his new-found inner peace but didn't take his self-control away.

Dean lifted his head up and was ready to listen to him.

"Can we count on you?" he asked hoping for the positive answer or at least a sign of agreement. They really needed him; they couldn't deal with their opponent on their own. They were The Shield after all; united fists were their well-known gesture and if they cannot work as a group, they cannot be one. If Dean indeed turns his back on the duo, there will be no Shield; it would be their end.

Everybody has noticed that the tension between Dean and Roman was rising but there was tension between Dean and Seth as well. If Seth was to choose side, he would pick Roman. He was much more easy-going, it wasn't painful to deal with him and there wasn't a massive ego surrounding him. Roman was confident but not cocky as Dean. Sometimes it seemed to Seth that Dean was acting like a jerk on purpose, to get rid of the other two and be alone. If that was the case, Dean's wish would come true soon. It was just a question of time before they disbanded.

Roman was still waiting for an answer from Dean, he wouldn't let it go and this time, he wouldn't even allow Dean to leave or pretend he did not hear his question. He stared into his eyes, being an authoritative parent who asks his child to behave and is ready to punish him in case he doesn't.

"Yes," Dean finally gave him an answer which Roman longed for.

Once again, Seth was doubtful about Dean's intentions and if it was up to him, he wouldn't let Dean get away with that short word. But Roman was different. He seemed to have a strategy which would help him keep the team together for as long as possible. The Wyatt Family was a short goal and more accomplishable one that the long one, to stay united until WrestleMania. That seemed like forever from now and he wouldn't dare to bet The Shield would still exist when the biggest pay-per-view of them all comes. But either way, Roman was the leader of the group now; and it was his task to do all he could to provide peaceful environment for his colleagues and himself to work in. Seth might be called the peacemaker of The Shield but Roman knew that his own personality was much more suitable for that position. In this war times only Roman's stamina could save them.


	4. Chapter 4

**So it seems like Seth had enough. An amazing match with The Wyatt Family ended disastrously for The Shield because of Seth's unpredicted actions. **

**The next chapter will be a follow-up to this one. I hope to upload it tomorrow. 'Trust Me, Darling' will be uploaded tomorrow as well (maybe even two chapters). **

* * *

Dean and Roman could not believe what they witnessed when Seth decided not to tag Dean and instead moved away from the ropes. With Roman being down, Dean exhausted and Seth unwilling to take part in the rest of the match, it was destined for The Shield to take another loss. Seth explained himself clearly when he stated he would no longer be the 'glue' that holds the group together. Roman and Dean were shocked but they had to continue with the match, even without their personal high-flier, and do all they could to try to avoid the inevitable. Roman became Superman and Dean absorbed some of his energy so that they could cooperate just as Seth wanted them to. The energy of the two men ran dry soon though. The Samoan speared Harper over the announce table but that was it; it signified the Armageddon, as Michael Cole called it, the end of Shield's short-lived winning spirit. This time it was Ambrose who experienced the numbers game, as did Reigns at the Elimination Chamber. That night, Seth Rollins spent the last few moments of the match almost unconscious when Harper and Rowan powerbombed him through the Spanish announce table. Now he avoided torment by stepping aside and watching the effort of the remaining members of the faction.

One could see the guilt in his face and confusion over the decision he made, when Bray Wyatt kissed Dean goodbye and pinned him. Seth Rollins was aware of the fact that he caused his team the rematch. He had his reasons though, nobody could deny that. For weeks he was the one who tried to lower the tension in The Shield, his peacemaker persona did his job well considering The Shield was still together but arguments would keep arising and they became more frequent. Nobody would listen to Seth trying to calm down his teammates. And now he had just enough. He wasn't blind; he could see the cracks in the group just like everybody else. The end was near and Seth didn't mean to stand beside Roman and Dean, watching them shout at each other, and possibly getting to the point when they would want to kill each other.

Seth was truly like a child whose parents were getting a divorce; he was the one who suffered the most. Until tonight, he didn't do anything wrong, he always did his job well and what was the result? He was facing the end of The Shield; and it seemed that he wasn't even a part of it, unless he stood between the two angry men trying to bring some peace upon them. Seth was left to choose side; but now he was sick of it. He would no longer keep swallowing his feelings and he would no longer be the architect of The Shield. He truly believed that it was time for Dean and Roman to discuss their problems and find a solution. He wanted to see them work as a team that they were.

He sort of succeeded in that ambition. As Seth Rollins stood beside, he had the possibility to watch, for the first time, the match The Shield was involved in. He didn't spot any rivalry between Reigns and Ambrose; they cooperated as they should have from the beginning. One thing he could see was confusion in their faces and building hatred towards him. Frankly, he did not think it through when he walked out on them few minutes ago. When the match ends, he would face upset and enraged partners questioning him about his decision not to participate.

Until the earlier choice and what would be certainly called a betrayal, he had a friend in Roman. They really cared for each other and The Shield problems did not affect their relationship. That was why Seth felt terribly sorry for what he did. The reason he did it was not Roman, he mostly wanted to punish Ambrose for his inappropriate behavior at the Elimination Chamber. He wanted him to face the consequences. Now the situation seemed to be reversed. Making Roman more of an enemy, Seth was left on his own when it came to supporting his actions. He had his reasons, in deed, but the question was who would listen to him. Roman and Dean would ask why but they would not wait for the answers. According to them, there is no single legitimate reason for Seth to walk out on them during such an important match. The truth was, Dean did the same thing before, but also he was a freak, a sociopath who nobody could argue with. When he did something wrong, Seth and Roman would be mad at him and raised their voice to make their point but Dean just didn't give a fuck. Seth, on the other hand, was always considered to be rational and the one who people could actually talk to when they needed an explanation.

Few days ago they were Dean's actions The Shield was afraid of. Underestimating the other two proved to be a big mistake. All the attention Dean was getting because of his unstable nature was over the limit. The better decision would be to transfer some on the rest of the faction. That way, somebody would probably notice Seth's boiling emotions that erupted at the worst time possible. Suddenly he became the bad one while Dean was awarded the position of the betrayed good guy. Well, he did everything right in the match. Or, almost. He had a few moments of losing his cool when he was provoked by Bray Wyatt. He was easily distracted and the truth was, he might have been the one who caused Seth lose his temper after all. If it wasn't for Dean, Roman wouldn't need to go after him and get him back to the apron; therefore, Seth would not be left with nobody to tag to and his frustration would not grow into enormous dimensions.

There were people to blame in the whole case and Seth Rollins was certainly not fully responsible for what he did to his team. On the other hand, he was the one to get punished for his behavior. Dean and Roman would not want to hear any explanation, they would crave for revenge. And even though, at the moment, both Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns were beaten down by The Wyatts, they would eventually want to confront the guy who was supposed to be on their side to help them deal with the lamb trio. Seth was not safe standing so close to the ring. It was dangerous even to be in the same building as the other two. He needed to disappear because the Hounds of Justice would go after him, they would chase him and make him pay for his actions; he could take that for granted.


	5. Chapter 5

**This is a promised follow-up to the previous chapter. Just a short conclusion after the match where Seth Rollins refused to act as an architect and a peacemaker of The Shield.**

* * *

Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns walked through the arena in Chicago trying to find their "partner" who betrayed them earlier in the match with The Wyatt Family. Most people were sane enough to avoid those two because they were really pissed and therefore dangerous. They were so mad at Seth Rollins that they wanted to end that bastard's life right away.

Seth knew that would happen. His actions may have been sudden and unplanned but as soon as the match was over we started thinking and realized there was no place for him to hide, so close to The Shield.

"Where is he?" Dean kept shouting without getting a satisfactory answer.

"He can't keep hiding forever," Roman told him. "He may be safe tonight but next time we see him," he spoke to Dean, "we're gonna deal with him. If he thinks that he can "give us a lesson" and not getting punished for it, he's terribly wrong."

"Oh, if I were him, I would flee to a distant island where nobody could find me." His words sounded more like a warning but even if Seth took that "advice", they would get him. They would find him anywhere, even if he crawled under the ground. No place was safe enough to guard you from the Hounds of Justice. And now that they were the ones being served injustice, they had to make it right and punish the criminals. Even when the criminal was one of them.

"Don't worry, Dean. We'll get him," Roman tried to calm his partner down. He was angry too but he did not let it show. He had much better control over his emotions and could deal with the situation without angry kicks into random objects, unlike Dean who was very quick-tempered.

"I don't understand. I mean, what happened? What did he tell you when he walked away?" Dean asked as he knew that Seth gave some kind of explanation to Roman.

"He said something like he can't be the glue that keeps us together, we weren't there for him when he needed a tag, and we are supposed to figure it out without him," Roman tried to repeat what he remembered.

It all seemed so surreal; nobody expected Seth to react that way. They could expect that kind of behavior from Dean but Seth? That one was a surprise. Roman focused all his energy on Dean as a potential danger, and at the end Seth Rollins turned out to be the one to jeopardize The Shield and the rematch with The Wyatts. Now they lost because of him and what's more, the cracks in the group became bigger and more apparent. Roman knew that Dean Ambrose was a lost case but he really hoped that he had a support in Seth; they were the former tag team champions after all. How could Seth forget about that and turn his back on them?

"I can't believe this. I still can't believe this," Dean angrily repeated himself. He himself did something similar to The Shield at the Elimination Chamber, but he refused to compare him not coming back into a lost match with Seth who decided to cost The Shield a match just because he, what? Was not happy with the current situation in the group? He could have said something but no, he brought it out during an important match instead.

"Calm down, Dean," Roman said when he realized there was no way they would find Seth that night. "Keep your hatred for later." Seth would show up eventually, he had to. Then they would deal with his actions.

"Oh, don't worry," Dean opposed. "I've got enough hatred for the whole month before WrestleMania. I can divide it and serve it to that motherfucker each night so that after a week he will beseech me to kill him instead. I will make him pay; and there'll be some pretty high interest."

"Dean, let's be rational for a while," Roman stopped him. "Seth is still a member of The Shield, he betrayed us, that is a fact, but we need him. We can't fight our matches without him. I'm as mad at him as you are but we need to let him explain him actions to us."

"There is nothing to explain," his teammate interrupted him. "He screwed us over, period. He needs to be disciplined." Dean was sure he should be the one to take care of it; he was perfect for the job. He was ruthless, vicious, and brutal. But that was exactly why Roman would never allow him to put his hands on Seth. He did screw up but they needed to give him a chance to make it right. They gave Dean a chance before, many chances.

"Remember you're not a leader here, you don't decide what's gonna happen," Roman said out loud what made Dean look at him with hostility. Maybe Roman shouldn't have said that but he felt the need to prove his dominance in the trio which now became only a duo, so basically, he needed to show Dean his superiority. The dangerous part was that now that Seth was gone, there was nobody to prevent those two from having a fight. There was no mediator in sight and Dean felt ready for some confrontation.

Fortunately, Roman realized soon enough that it would lead nowhere. Although, deep inside his heart, he wished to punch Dean in the face for everything he did to him and to The Shield, he resisted the temptation and decided to deal with one at a time. Seth first, then the intervention can focus on Dean. Of course only in case that they can persuade Seth Rollins to come back and cooperate. If not, they may as well just disband and go their separate ways. In that case, their paths would cross again soon enough though; they would confront each other and fight. They would wrestle until there was no more hatred and no more strength left. All to define who's the winner and who's the loser of The Shield's separation.


	6. Chapter 6

_Sierra, hotel, India, echo, Lima, delta. ... Shield._ Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns were walking down the stairs, through the crowd as they always did, but the unusual part was the absence of the third member, Seth Rollins. It might not have come as a surprise that he was not by their side since they had a good reason to be mad at him, therefore it was pretty dangerous for him to be so close to them.

The Shield summit, as the segment was named, was supposed to help the trio set their problems which reached the high point on Monday, right after Seth abandoned his mates and refused to wrestle against The Wyatts. According to him, that was a good idea. Unfortunately, Dean and Roman would have to disagree with him. As Dean was saying, they could handle physical pain but being lied to by somebody they trust is intolerable. And that was exactly what Dean saw Seth as. A traitor. Seth lost Dean's trust when he walked out on them in the middle of a war.

For Seth's defense, he did what he thought was the best and what would help to save The Shield from extinction. He was the one who called the summit after all, and although he took his time, after Dean called him out several times, he finally showed his unworthy face to the ones he let down, in order to explain himself.

When Dean warned Seth saying "Judging by the look on Roman's face, you got about 30 seconds", Seth did not want to risk it, he knew Roman too well and would never mistake his quiet appearance for inner peace. He was just that good at self-control. But when necessary, he could start a war, that Dean was so convincingly talking about, in an instance.

The Shield music hit again and it was not usual for Dean and Roman to listen to their own theme song unless they were the ones coming to the ring. Now they were already standing in the ring, and the music was supposed to welcome their "lost" partner, Seth Rollins. They kept looking around, as did the fans, in order to spot him but for a while, he was nowhere in sight. Cameras were focused on the staircase entrances but he chose another way to come. He was walking slowly beside the audience, from the corner towards the ring. His face unreadable, emotions stirring in him. There was fear, but there was courage as well.

Dean alerted Roman who was looking the wrong way and pointed at Seth who wouldn't stop walking until he finally reached the ropes. Dean was surprised by his courage to face them after what he did; and Roman was as well. Seth wondered whether he should get inside or keep standing in a safe distance. The latter probably made more sense considering Roman and Dean's mood.

But Seth did not care. On Raw, he wanted to prove his point and he did. He succeeded in bringing Roman and Dean together and getting them on the same page, even if it meant hating him. But those two haven't cooperated in a while and Seth, as the architect of the group, had to do something about it. And, in his words, he did what he always does; he sacrificed himself for the greater good.

Unfortunately, they did not seem to see it, they did not want to see what Seth did as a good deed. In their eyes, he was the one who left them to death. But Seth would not give up. He kept explaining to them his reasons, and did his best to make them realize that he did not betray them.

Roman wanted to believe him and somehow understood that he did what he considered to be right at the moment, but Dean was never an open-minded person. He saw only his own truth. He saw Seth walking out on them and he craved for revenge. They might be on the same side of the fight but when it comes to lies, even brother has to pay for his actions.

Seth saw he did not persuade Dean; if something, he made him angrier. But he still believed that crossing the ropes and walking inside the ring would a good idea. There was Roman after all, who would stop Dean from doing anything stupid; at least Seth thought so.

Dean tried to be the leader, so did Roman but it seemed both men's egos were too big to actually do something about the situation and the internal conflicts. Seth believed if they weren't to do something about it, he should. He still believed in The Shield and didn't want to give up on the faction just yet. If it was him walking out on them that it took to make the guys go back to the beginning when The Shield was a relentless faction of three men who would bring the justice and take everybody down, then let them hate him for it. He would do it again. He would do everything to bring back the real Shield.

"From the moment we came to WWE," he spoke loudly, "we were taking down walls. And if we stand together, united," he exclaimed, "no one can touch us, not The Wyatt Family, not The Undertaker, not John Cena, no one! You know it," he pointed at Roman and then at Dean, continuing in his speech, "you know it. So let's do what we do. Let's be The Shield and take this place back," he shouted.

Dean was definitely not impressed by Seth's speech. His explanation was, according to Dean, not good enough. He wanted to fight; he wanted to release his anger. He pushed Seth and then again, making him fall down on the ground. That was when Roman stroke and slammed Dean down. Both guys stood up quickly but neither of them decided to strike back. Not at first. But then when suddenly fight appeared as a legitimate way of getting rid of their energy and anger, Seth slapped Dean.

"I feel a lot better. That felt great," he got everybody know while Dean couldn't believe what just happened.

When Seth said he would take one for the team, as usual, Dean took it as a permission to strike. Seth truly took one for the team when Dean vengefully hit him. And he hit him hard. Maybe it was what Seth wanted him to do, to 'get that out of his system' but Roman strongly disagreed. He did not want to see his mates fighting or taking revenge on each other. But it seemed that Seth's strategy worked once again.

Seth stood up and asked," Are we done here? Or are we done?" Then he formed a fist and placed it in front of him to see if his partners would join him to prove everybody that The Shield still existed. He needed to know himself.

Dean looked at Roman to see what he would do about it. Would he use his fist as a symbol of unison or instead as a weapon to punch Seth and get his anger out of the system, like the other two? He adjusted his wrist pads while keeping everyone tense and wondering what would happen. He might not have fully trusted Seth yet but he joined him in the gesture anyway. Now it was time for Dean to decide whether they were really done or not. Finally he did, although he wouldn't shut his mouth about it. People couldn't hear him but he would trash-talk anyway. He certainly couldn't stay quiet for more than two minutes. But that was not important at the moment.

Roman Reigns, as the leader that he became, looked at both Dean and Seth to make sure they were on the same page. Each member really seemed to have swallowed his pride. And at the end, what everybody learned that night was that The Shield resisted breaking up and postponed their disbandment by another day.


	7. Chapter 7

_And that's how it's done_, Seth thought to himself after the match with Cody Rhodes and Goldust. Everything ran smoothly, The Shield, or most of it, took a victory over the brothers. The same opponents that they lost the Tag Team Championship to. Kane said that was when the first cracks in The Shield started to appear. They got bigger over the time; that was undeniable. But when it seemed to be over, when their disputes reached heights which for many signified the end of the faction, Seth Rollins took initiative and proved everybody that what might have been seen as a final manifestation of disagreement within the trio at first, was in reality a clever way of pointing out the problems and solving them. That's why during the match, there were no signs of conflicts, the men cooperated like a team that they were. And Seth knew it was thanks to him.

"Good job, boys," Dean applauded Seth and Roman's hard work in the ring and patted their shoulders.

"I hope now we can leave the troubles behind and focus on more important things," Seth said. "We need to show people that we're not done yet here. We have to start serving justice again."

"You're right," Roman nodded. "We are former Tag Team Champions and Dean is still the United States Champion. WrestleMania is just around the corner and I don't want to see us there fighting each other," he emphasized; then looked at Seth and Dean respectively. He lingered on Dean's face for a short moment. Even though Seth was the one who walked out on them most recently, Roman was almost hundred percent sure that he would not do it again, he was not that kind of guy who would do something for his own good. Dean could be, but Roman did not want to believe it either. At the moment, everything seemed perfect and he did not see any reason why that should change.

"Seth, Dean," he continued, "let's take over the place again."

He stretched his arm and formed a fist. There were no cameras around or the audience that could see it, but this time they were not doing it for other people, they were doing it for themselves and for proving each other that they stood beside their teammates, in times of peace as well as in times of war, ready to strike and triple powerbomb their opponents.

When they parted their fists, they were ready to separate and head away from the arena; but Roman spoke quietly to Seth: "Could I talk to you in private?"

Dean turned around and looked suspiciously at Roman. He got this feeling that they were pushing him aside again. As it used be when Seth and Roman were a tag team, and he wrestled in individual matches. He never liked it; it made him feel unwanted and that was when his anger management issues started to arise. He was jealous of them two spending so much time together, leaving him out of everything. Roman and Seth were always together, they were buddies, while Dean was just a third wheel, supplementing the faction. He eventually got over these paranoid thoughts but suddenly they seemed to return.

"Yeah, of course," Seth responded. Neither of them noticed frustration on Dean's face but then again, he was hiding it well. And he thought that maybe they did not even want him to hear it, yet he overheard Roman's words causing his paranoia. But they were on the same page now, he could not question Roman's intentions or show them he was not okay with any kind of secrets that they might have had.

"See you later then," he told them and for everybody's sake quickly disappeared.

"Are you still angry for what I did last week?" Seth guessed.

"No," he denied and he really meant it. "I was, I admit that, but I have thought about it and…," he took a moment to go through what he was about to say, "I actually start to believe that it was a good idea."

Seth was surprised to hear him say that. "Really?" asked.

"Yeah. I mean, look. It worked. We're here and we're together. And it's not like you did it for yourself, you really took one for the team."

"I'm glad you see it that way. I wish Dean understood," Seth added in a worried voice.

"Dean's Dean. He's not a fan of rationality. But I must admit he impressed me tonight. He did not interfere in the match. One could easily see that he was tempted at times but he resisted. I believe that's a good sign. Maybe he realized he did a couple of mistakes in the last few months, too, and now he's trying to become a better teammate, one we can rely on."

Seth considered that option. "We could benefit from that. But I can see where his egocentrism is coming from. Unlike us, he did not spend so much time working as a part of a team. He usually fought battles for himself; we learned how to work together."

"Are you defending him?" Roman asked shocked.

"No!" Seth exclaimed. "I am just saying that I understand his actions. That does not mean that I consider it right that he caused us a couple of matches or that he acted so selfishly sometimes. Also, his protests against your leadership were unreasonable. But I guess with his personality it's hard for him not to be the main man."

"What about you?" Roman interrupted him. "Do you have problems with me being the unofficial leader?"

"You know I'm on your side," Seth intended to fight away Roman's doubts by reminding him his trustworthiness. "I've always got your back."

"That was not my question, Seth."

"Ok. You wanna hear the truth?" When Roman nodded, Seth continued: "I don't think The Shield needs a leader. We're a group of three equally important men who don't need a dominant member. In my opinion, that's where the evil comes from. If it wasn't for your and Dean's dispute over the sovereignty, we would have never lost to the Wyatt Family or anybody else. Our strongest point has always been teamwork but if we lose that, we're just like everybody else. And guess what? They lose. Now take a look at The Wyatts," he went on explaining before Roman could get angry because of Seth's honesty. "Do you know why they are such a success and why they take so many victories? It's because of their loyalty. Ok, so they have a leader in Bray Wyatt," Seth admitted so that Roman could not object, "but Luke Harper and Erick Rowan would never even consider walking out on him. They believe in him and his leadership. They respect him as the person who operates them. He does not tell them what to do, he guides them."

"What is your point?" Roman asked. He was no happy to hear about how great The Wyatt Family was.

"My point is that having a leader may work for them, but we're different. We're not a group of three men, two of whom are subordinate to the third one. If we take their strategy and try to implement it into our structure, it's gonna destroy us. We need to get back to the beginnings when there was no leader at all. We all have our egos. And as soon as one of us becomes a head of the group, problems arise. There will always be other two questioning his lead and coming up with things he does wrong. Of course they cannot fight him or speak up, but there are another ways of showing discontent, like passive resistance. So yes, I have problems with you being the leader," he concluded, "but in reality, it has nothing to do with you. I just don't believe that a faction as strong as The Shield needs a leader. If something, it's counterproductive. Just think about it," Seth told him and left him alone, hoping he would at least consider his opinion.


End file.
